Trend of the Day: Edible Forests

“Imagine turning a public park into a free-for-all of community plants – and snacks. Food forests have been likened to Garden of Eden revelry, or the blissful sampling in Willy Wonka’s chocolate waterfall room.

It’s like a community garden on steroids. The concept is pretty simple: planners recreate a forest ecosystem with edible plants and trees in a public space. Then, in a deviation from most community garden models, they open it up and allow people to forage for food for free.

“It is a forest. It is a park. But it’s all edible, so the whole community can come in and sit under the apple tree and eat from the apple tree,” said Stephanie Syson, manager at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI).

There are only a few food forests already up and running in the country, with the highest profile projects in Seattle, Wash. andWestern Massachusetts. Planners of a new food forest in the tiny mountain town of Basalt, Colo., are experimenting with the concept now, trying to figure out how to make a publicly-owned food project work.” Read More.

WRITTEN BY

Guy James

Brought up in the UK, I graduated in Philosophy and Literature at the University of Sussex. I am a writer and musician (guyjames.com), currently living off-grid in a log cabin in the Pyrenees. Also working with FairCoop, Ecoxarxa Garrotxa, and the Cooperativa Integral Catalana. @guyjames23